Dashboard fuse mounting



Jan. 16, 1940. H. MIDDLETON 2,187,427

DASHBOARD FUSE MOUNTING Filed Sept. 11, 1937 '2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR LESLIE H. ///DDL E @N ATTORNEY Jan. 16, 1940; L. H MIDDLETON DASHBOARD FUSE MOUNTING Fi'led Sept. 11, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR LESL/E H. M/DDLETON TTORNEY Patented Jan. 16, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 7 Claims.

This invention relates to fuse mountings, more particularly to fuse mountings adapted to be used in conjunction with the dashboard of an automotive vehicle.

Formerly fuse plugs used in automotive vehicles for the protection of electrical circuits have been positioned behind the dashboard in a position parallel thereto. This type of mounting made the fuse inaccessible and gave rise to much annoyance when it is necessary to replace a blown fuse. Furthermore, in the usual fuse mounting, the cylindrical fuse was held between clips cooperating longitudinally with the ends of the fuse, so that a poor connection was often obtained, due to the tolerance variations in length of the fuse cylinder which diminished the pressures on the fuse ends by the clips. This often resulted in heating at the contact due to contact resistance and aggravating the undesirable condition by destroying the temper of the clips.

The present invention contemplates the provision of a fuse mounting which holds the axis of the cylindrical fuse normal to the surface of the panel or dashboard with the entrance to the fuse container being positioned conveniently on the front side of the dashboard. With the removal of the cover means closing this entrance, the fuse is adapted to automatically spring forth into the hand of the operator. The fuse mounting contemplated is preferably made in unitary form for convenience in attaching it to automotive vehicles in the process of fabrication in a mass production assembly line. The design further contemplates all possible economies for labor and materials in fabrication of the unitary structure.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a fuse mounting suitable for convenient manipulation on the dashboard of an automotive vehicle.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a fuse mounting for the dashboard of an automotive vehicle in which the axis of the cylindrical fuse is positioned normal to the plane of the dashboard, with all parts of the fuse circuit being protected from the short circuit with the dashboard to prevent short circuit therebetween.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a fuse mounting for the dashboard of an automotive vehicle in which the parts are constructed as a unit for convenience in assembly on an automotive vehicle in a mass production assembly line.

Other objects and advantages of this invention relating to the arrangement, operation and function of the related elements of the structure, to various details of construction, to combinations of parts and to economies of manufacture, will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following description and appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several views.

Figure l is a sectional elevation of the fuse mounting.

Figure 2 is an exploded elevational view with the fuse partially removed.

Figure 3 is a view, taken along the line 3-4 of 1 Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a view, taken along the line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Referring to the drawings, particularly to Figure 1, an embodiment of the invention is shown 1. in position on a dashboard is shown in phantom. An aperture ii of non-circular conformation is provided in the dashboard which cooperates with a threaded boss 52 of similar non-circular conformation to hold a cup-shaped supporting collar l3 to the rear side of the dashboard Ill, a shoulder It on the supporting collar cooperating therewith. An internally threaded collar 55 is provided to cooperate with the threaded boss if to hold the supporting collar i3 in-position. Apertures it 9 may be provided in the periphery of the threaded collar 15. to cooperate with a spanner wrench (not shown) to tighten the collar l5 in position.

The supporting collar i3 has a bore 57 and terminates in a flange is at its inner end. A series of insulating discs it are fitted in the bore l1 and embrace the body member 213 in which a fuse member 2| is positioned as will be described hereinafter. The body member 20 is provided at its anterior end with an inturned flange $212 40 which cooperates with an outwardly extending flange 23 on a threaded collar 24. The threaded collar 24 has an external diameter of size suiiicient to cooperate with the aperture formed by the inturned flange 22 on the body the out- .45 wardly extending flange 23 abutting against flange 22 as shown. The other end of the threaded collar 24 is provided with an upstanding flange 25 which initially has a diameter equal to that of the body of the collar. .51)

This construction allows a sub-assembly to be fabricated which consists of the body member 29, the inwardly threaded collar 24%, and the first insulating disc 26a. The collar 2:3 is first placed in position inside of the body member 26?, then that insulating washer 20a is threaded over the body of the collar 24 to cooperate with the end of the body member 23. The upwardly extending flange 25 is then rolled over to hold the insulating washer 20a in position on the body member 26. The sub-assembly is then positioned in cooperative relation with the supporting collar 13 and the additional insulating washers l9 are placed in position which allows the spinning-in of the flange i 8 on the supporting collar l3. In this manner, the body member it is held in position within the supporting collar 13 andat the same time is insulated therefrom at all points.

Cooperating with the internally threaded collar 24, a threaded plug 33 is'provided which has a threaded shank 33a to cooperate with the collar. The threaded shank 33a is provided with a bore b of such size as to snugly fit about the metallic end of a cylindrical fuse 2|. The anterior end of the plug 33 is covered with an insulating coating 300 which preferably is given decorative features and, at the same time, is made of such dimension that it will negotiate the aperture 8 in the dashboard lil for reasons to be described hereinafter.

Referring to Figure 2, the body member 20 is provided at its posterior end with a pair of slots 32, positioned in diametrically opposed relation in the walls of the body member 23. A washer 33, which is made of insulating'material, and a second washer 34, which is preferably made of metal, are provided to give a resilient cushion for the posterior end of the cylindrical fuse 2!. The washers 33 and 34 are provided with diametrically opposed lugs 33a, and 34a, which are of such size as to cooperate with the slots 32. A resilient means 35 is positioned between the washers 33 and 34 to keep them separated, as shown in Figure 2, at times when no pressure is placed upon the insulating washer 33 by means of the fuse. The fuse 2i cooperates with the washer 33 by means of a cone-shaped contact 36 whose flare embraces the metallic end of the fuse 2i and tends to center the same. The contact 36 is held in position on the washer 33 by means 'of a shoulder 31 and an outwardly-turned flange 38, the shoulder and the flange embracing the washer between them.

Electrical connection is made with the contact 33 by means of the wire 39 whose end 43 is preferably soldered in position in the tubular portion of the contact 36 located between the shoulder 31 and the flange 38., The Washer 34 is provided with an aperture 34b which is made smooth to prevent injury to the insulation of the wire 39 which threads the aperture. Electrical connection is made with the other end of the fuse 2i cooperating with the plug 30 by placing upon the body portion 20, by brazing or the like, a clip 41 to which the binding posts 42 may be attached in any convenient manner,

The design of the fuse mounting allows a desirable economy in labor and materials. The first step of the assembly is to position the washer 20a in operable relation with the tubular body 20 by placing the inwardly threaded collar. 24 inside of the tubular body 23, so thatthe outwardly extending flange 23 cooperates with the inwardly extending flange 22 as described before. The insulating washer Zlla is then placedon the collar 24 and the flange 25 is turned over to hold the parts in position'substantially as shown in Figure l. The insulating washer 20a is then placed in the bore ll of the supporting collar I3, the additional insulating washers [9 are dropped in position above it, and the flange I8 is turned inwardly to hold the complete assembly compactly together. The washers 33 and 34, with the spring 35 positioned between them are then fitted into the body 23 so that their lugs 33a, and 34a cooperate with the slot 3:2 in the body portion.

This is accomplished by turning the washers 33 and 34 oblique to the normal axis of the tube to the point where the lugs 33a and 34a fall in position in the slots and allow the spring 35 to thrust them apart to the far ends of the slot. They will remain in this position as shown in Figure 2 until a fuse H is positioned between the plug 30 and the contact 36. As the plug 33 is placed in operative position bythrusting the stud 33a into the collar 24, the spring 35 is compressed and the washer 33 is pushed relatively near to the washer 34. While in this position, the fuse clip is subjected to an end-wise thrust which is borne by the bottom of the bore 382) in the plug 33. The force tending to create a good contact with the ends of the fuse is the same on both ends thereof, inasmuch as the source of the pressure is the spring 35, which is displaced a suffi: cient distance from the contact 36, to prevent the spring 33 from being subjected to any heating, should the resistance at the point of contact between the end of the fuse 2| and the contact 36 rise. g

Should a fuse become blown, the operator may replace the fuse with another by unscrewing the plug or cover 30 which allows the tension on the resilient means 35to relax somewhat and at the moment the threads become disengaged, the spring 35 will push the fuse 2! outwardly, so that it will jump into the hand of the operator. The operator then replaces the fuse by positioning one end of the new fuse in the bore 3% which acts to center the fuse and make certain the contact of the posterior end with the contact 36. The contact 35 is given the conical section to aid in centering the posterior end of the fuse, and, at the same time, to prevent dragging between the contact 36 and thetubular body 28. The operator then screws the plug 30 back into position in the collar and the operation is complete.

The electrical circuit through the fuse mounting maybegin with the Wire 39 which is in electrical connection with the contact-36, which, in

turn, isin electrical connection with the pos- The circuit then conterior end of the fuse 2 l. tinues to the exterior end of the fuse 2!, then to the metallic inner portion of the plug 33, which, in turn, is in electrical connection with the collar 24 and the body 23. The circuitis then continued to the appliances desired by means of" the binding posts 42 which are positioned on the metallic tubular body 20 by means of bracket 4|. Two binding posts 42 are preferably supplied to make certain that good contact is made with the ,body member 20 to the various appliances usually employed in the electrical circuit of an automotive vehicle.

The design of the fuse mounting-has been influenced by the consideration of convenience in the fabrication of automotive Vehicles on which the mountings are to be used on mass production .collar 13 and its threaded stud I2, which is noncircular in conformation, can be placed directly in position on the dashboard of an assembled veill) hicle in the assembly line by placing the threaded stud I2 in position in a non-circular aperture provided in the dashboard, which is large enough to allow the passage of the plug or cover 30 and then fastening it in position by screwing the threaded collar it on the stud l2. In this manner, the needs of the large automobile manufacturers are fulfilled, making the assembled fuse mounting more attractive to such prospective purchasers.

It is to be understood that the above detailed description of the present invention is intended to disclose an embodiment thereof to those skilled in the art, but that the invention is not to be construed as limited in its application to the details of construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings, since the invention is capable of being practiced and carried out in various ways Without departing from the spirit of the invention. The language used in the specification relating to the operation and function of the elements of the invention is employed for purposes of description and not of limitation, and it is not intended to limit the scope of the following claims beyond the requirements of the prior art.

I claim:

1. In a dashboard fuse mounting, body means, a cylindrical fuse positioned in the body means, an annular insulating ring attached to the body means, cup-shaped means for attaching the body means to the dashboard, the cup-shaped means having an inturned peripheral fiange cooperating with the annular insulating ring to hold the ring in the cup-shaped means and form a unitary assembly, and contact means cooperating with the body means to engage the terminals of the fuse.

2. In a dashboard fuse mounting, body means, a cylindrical fuse in the body means, slots in the body means in aligned relation, an anchor plate and an insulating plate cooperating with the body means, lugs on the plates to cooperate with the slots to hold the plates in position, resilient means cooperating with the plates to hold the insulating plate for resilient movement under pressure thereon, contact means mounted on the insulating plate, and a second contact means cooperating with the body means and manually detachable therefrom, and adapted to hold the fuse in position when in cooperation with the body means to place a tension on the resilient means.

3. In a dashboard fuse mounting, body means, a cylindrical fuse in the body means, a relatively fixed terminal means cooperating with the body means and one end of the fuse, a relatively movable terminal means cooperating with the body means and the other end of the fuse, resilient means acting between the body means and the relatively movable terminal means to thrust the latter in the direction of the relatively fixed terminal means, and insulating means to prevent heat transfer to the resilient means from the relatively adjacent terminal means.

4. In a device of the class described, a tubular body means, a cylindrical fuse in the body means,

longitudinal slots in the body means in diametrically opposed relation, an anchor plate and an insulating plate cooperating internally with the body means, outwardly extending lugs on the plates cooperating with the slots to hold the plates in position in the body means, resilient means in the body means cooperating with the plates and positioned between them, contact means on the insulating plate, a second contact means cooperating with the body means and manually detachable therefrom, said second contact means being adapted to cooperate with the first contact means by holding the cylindrical fuse betwen them, the contact means cooperating with opposite ends thereof, whereby the first contact means and the insulating plate are displaced toward the anchor plate to depress the resilient means for creating a tension to give good contactual relation between the contact means and the fuse.

5. In a device of the class described, a tubular body means, a cylindrical fuse in the body means, a relatively fixed contact means cooperating with body means and one end of the fuse, said relatively fixed contact means being manually removable from the body means to enable replacement of the fuse, a relatively movable con tact means cooperating With the body means and other end of the fuse, a closure plate for an end of the tubular body means, an insulating plate cooperating with the relatively movable contact means and adapted to guide the relatively movable contact means for longitudinal movement in the tubular body means, and resilient means between the insulating plate and the closure plate to constrain movement of the insulating plate and the relatively movable contact means in one direction so that the fuse will be held with a firm contactual relation between the contact means, said insulating plate being positioned between the relatively movable contact means and the resilient means to prevent transfer of heat therebetween.

6. In a device of the class described, a cylindrical body means, an annular insulating ring concentrically atached to the body means adjacent one end thereof and having a greater diameter than the body means, cup-shaped means having an internal diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the annular insulating ring, an inturned flange on the edge of the cup-shaped means to hold the annular insulating ring in position in the cup-shaped means to form a unitary assembly, and means to mount the cupshaped means in normal position on a supporting plane.

7. In a device of the class described, a tubular body means, a cylindrical fuse in the body means, an annular insulating ring concentrically attached to the body means adjacent one end thereof, said annular insulating ring having a greater diam eter than the body means, cup-shaped means cooperating with the perimetrical edge of the annular insulating ring and concentric therewith and having an inturned flange to hold the annular insulating ring and the tubular body means in position therein and in normal relation with a supporting plane, manually removable contact means cooperating with one end of the tubular body and with one end of the cylindrical fuse and a resiliently mounted contact means cooperating with the other end of the tubular body and cylindrical fuse.

LESLIE H. MIDDLETON. 

